Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni's Tips for Cooking with Seafood

Cooking with seafood can be intimidating, but these simple tips from Barilla Executive Chef Lorenzo Boni will have you serving up an elegant and effortless seafood pasta dinner like a pro in no time.

• Remember, with seafood, less is more. Buy good-quality, fresh fish, and let it shine—don’t overload it with too many other ingredients. To keep it nice and moist, be careful to never overcook any seafood.
• Always sauté or steam shellfish. In the case of clams, mussels or any seafood in a shell, sauté or steam on the side and fold it in with your other ingredients at the last minute to make sure no sand gets in your sauce.
• Add a dash of white wine. Adding a bit of dry white wine can enlighten and enhance the flavor of seafood. And, using extra-virgin olive oil is better choice as a “fat” than heavier butter, which tends to flatten the delicate flavor of seafood.
• As previously mentioned, don’t overcook seafood. Shellfish tend to get, not only dry, but also rubbery and chewy when overcooked. With white flash fish, it is always best to dice it before cooking it to preserve the integrity of the shape.
• Always keep the juice. Seafood such as clams and mussels usually produce juices as they cook. Let that juice deposit and then filter it before adding it to your sauce.
• Skip the cheese. You want to highlight the simple, delicate flavor of seafood—cheese will only overpower it.